HYDERABAD: The death toll in the RIMS Adilabad fire rose to five after two more premature infants died while undergoing treatment at private hospitals on Tuesday night. Officials said both the deceased were preterm girls, born after 25 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. While one was being treated at RIMS, the other was taken to a private facility.“One was five days old and the other was two days old. One of the infants was from Dubbaguda village in Indervelli mandal, while the other was from Lingapur mandal in Kumram Bheem Asifabad. We believe the cause to be thick and toxic smoke fumes entering the lungs and leading to asphyxiation,” said DM&HO Dr P Sadhana.The two infants were among 27 children evacuated from the special newborn care unit (SNCU) of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) after a fire broke out late Monday night, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in the AC. However, the exact cause of the fire is yet to be established, though a short circuit in a window AC is suspected.Three infants had died earlier following the fire, which broke out around 11.40pm when 27 newborns and their attendants were present in the unit. Officials said the ward quickly filled with smoke after plastic components of the AC caught fire.Meanwhile, another 22 newborns are undergoing treatment and being continuously monitored at RIMS and nearby private hospitals. “The condition of the other rescued babies is stable so far, with oxygen support being provided to those who required it,” said Dr Sadhana.The state chief minister Revanth Reddy has ordered an inquiry into the fire and announced electrical, fire and structural safety audits at RIMS.Doc bodies highlight gapsMeanwhile, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) and the Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) raised concerns over the financial condition of government hospitals. They said more than Rs 500 crore in Aarogyasri funds had been pending for government hospitals for the past two-and-a-half years.The doctors said the shortage of funds was affecting the maintenance and servicing of medical equipment, biomedical systems and electrical infrastructure, besides making fire-safety compliance difficult. They demanded the immediate release of the pending funds, particularly for high-risk areas such as SNCUs, NICUs, ICUs and operation theatres.
